Baker Family Cemetery

There are five marked graves in this cemetery. The grave closest to the gate contains Chell Baker's pet dog, Terry. The two oldest graves in the cemeery are found inside the low stonewall rectangle.

The oldest marked grave is that of Margaret A. Grigsby. She was born on October 30, 1828 and died on April 1, 1903. Born Margaret A. Faris, originally from Tennessee, she married Mark Grigsby in Nacogdoches, Texas on October 21, 1845. At some point they moved to Texas an settled here in Travis County. Margaret was the maternal grandmother of Chell Baker. Shortly before her death, Margaret was granted a Confederate Widows Pension of twelve dollars per month due to her marriage to Mark Grigsby who served as a private in the Texas Calvary during the Civil War.

The grave next to that of Margarat is that of Mrs. M.J. Draper who was born on February 10, 1848 and died April 4, 1917. Mary Jane was Margaret's sister and greataunt to Chell Baker. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and was to G.W. Draper.

The grave that is scond from the entry gate is that of Chell Miller Baker. Chell's mother was Josephine Grigsby Baker, daughter of Margaret A. and Mark Grigsby. Josephine was married to Richard Blackwell before her marriage to A.J. Baker on November 29, 1877. Chell was born on December 18, 1891. Chell served with the Texas Rangers under Captain Will Wright as both a Railroad Ranger and a Regular Ranger in Company D, based in Mission, Texas. His service as a Railroad Ranger began in July 1922 with the Santa Fe Railroad. Chell served as a Regular Ranger from July 1, to November 30, 1923. When Chell left the Texas Rangers in 1923, he returned home on his horse from South Texas. Chell deeded his 536 acre Baker Ranch to the Travis Audubon Society before he died on April 18, 1978 so that it would remain undeveloped serve both as a wildlife and bird sanctuary in perpetuity.

Elizabeth Evaline "Lena" Baker is buried next to Chell. After Chell was born. A.J. Baker and Josephine were divorced. A. J. Baker married a woman named Amanda. They had five children, one of whom was Lena who was born in 1896. Lena moved to the Baker Ranch prior to 1922 and lived there until shortly before her death on September 2, 1982.

John Wilson
January 2008.